And the organisation claimed that there will be no money in budgets to replace obsolete equipment or develop additional capacity to provide care when funding for the new Children's Hospital and the relocation of maternity centres is spent.

He added: "Throughout the past decade the State has severely rationed healthcare, and with an increasing number of patients becoming reliant on private hospitals, in effect acute hospital services are being privatised by stealth.

"Notably the private hospitals understand the increase in existing and future demand for health care services and have expanded their bed capacity, unlike the public hospitals."

The consultants claimed that there were cuts of almost 1.9 billion euro to health budgets from 2016 to 2021, compared to 2008 and 15% less being spent on mental health services than 10 years ago.

They also hit out at the low numbers of senior doctors being recruited and retained in the Irish healthcare system.

"It is unacceptable that over 400 approved hospital consultant posts are either vacant or filled on a temporary/agency basis," Dr Ryan said.

The consultants described it as a false economy with medical agency costs topping 115 million euro a year while it also claimed 70 non-specialist doctors have been appointed to consultant posts since 2008.